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Monday, November 3, 2014

Sony and Seibert

Budding animators will get the chance to get their shorts funded by Sony Pictures Animation under a just-launched incubator project with the YouTube channel Cartoon Hangover, which is part of Fred Seibert’s Channel Frederator online multi-channel network.

Sony and Cartoon Hangover are launching GO! Cartoon to capture up-and-coming talent and give them a pipeline into Sony’s animation operations. The incubator will pick a dozen creators from online submissions, with Sony financing a short by each to appear on the GO! Cartoon channel. At least one will be turned into a limited series for the channel, said Sony Pictures Digital Production President Bob Osher. ...

The new arrangement echoes what Seibert and Osher did while working at Turner Broadcasting Networks two decades ago. Then, Seibert was courting up-and-coming talent through Cartoon Network showcases for their one-off shorts, and compiling them into anthology shows that later spun off into series.

The thing about Fred is, he's an entrepreneur, creating new companies, partnering with YouTube, striking alliances with various entertainment conglomerates.

Adventure Time, one of Mr. Seibert's properties incubated at Nickelodeon under its shorts program, became a hit for Cartoon Network when Nick put AT into turn-around.

Fred was a pioneer in television cartoon development back in the early nineties, where Hanna-Barbera had an open-door policy toward animation artists who aspired to be creators of their own shows. The shows developed at H-B in the early nineties jump-started Cartoon Network a few years later.

That same incubation process is still working for Fred Seibert on-line. (Same technique; different pipe-line). Now it's up to the Animation Guild to organize this blossoming work.